The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has announced a major policy shift in its approach to tax collection, prioritizing partnership and customer service over aggressive enforcement in a bid to sustainably grow the nation’s revenue base.
As part of efforts to achieve its medium-term revenue target of GH¢360 billion by 2028, GRA says it is moving away from past tactics that involved shutting down non-compliant businesses and intimidating taxpayers.
Instead, the Authority will now focus on a collaborative model built on trust, professionalism, and integrity.
Speaking in an interview in X, Commissioner-General Anthony Sarpong emphasized that the GRA’s new direction reflects a strategic decision to support businesses rather than stifle them.
He explained that by helping businesses grow, the Authority can organically increase collections through income tax, VAT, and others.
This policy, according to Mr. Sarpong, aligns with President Mahama’s vision of creating a fair and inclusive tax system that brings in all relevant contributors, especially from the informal sector.
He added that the GRA aims to widen the tax net by integrating informal workers and small businesses, many of whom have historically remained outside the formal taxation structure.
He stated, “So again, I would like us to reference what the president has said, His Excellency President John Mahama. And in his discussions of policy as far as taxation is concerned, he has actually emphasized the importance of creating a fair and inclusive tax system that brings in all relevant taxpayers, particularly including the informal sector, into the tax net. So as far as in mobilizing the tax revenue is concerned, one of the surest way that as our posture with businesses and individuals is a posture of partnership and collaboration. Because we must understand that the sources of tax revenue is from businesses and individuals.”
He added, “And therefore, if we live or we operate in a partnership and collaborative manner and support businesses to thrive and grow with all the challenges that they have, the better they grow, the more profit they make, the ability for them to create employment, if that is scaled, then consequentially as tax administrators or as GRA, we believe that we have the opportunity to increase tax revenue. So first and foremost, while that is not our initial or primary core mandate, it’s a necessary partnership that we need to have with business. So we set ourselves that we will be customer-centric with our taxpayers. And that’s why we started referring to them as tax customers and work with them in a manner that ensure that we build trust, we are working as partners. Because when businesses grow and thrive, they create employment, and employment brings in pay as you go taxes.”
